Why is my hair shedding?

 

This is my most frequently asked question. Clients always want to know what can be done to ensure healthy tresses. I usually ask the client, what their daily regimen consist of. This is vital information because it will help me diagnose the problem. In most cases, I usually always get to the root of the problem. However there are some cases that are cold, but I try my best to come to some sort of conclusion. Most of the time when a person is experiencing excessive shedding it's because of something they are doing at home. Whether it be using excessive heat from heated tools, color, relaxers, permanent waves, ponytails, clothing/coats (certain materials damage hair . i.e wool), or even the wrong head scarves.
There are several things that cause shedding/breakage. Minor shedding is normal (few strands daily). If you are noticing short pieces breaking off or hair all over your clothing that isn't normal. You may need a protein treatment or your ends trimmed. Clients should have a protein/reconstructor treatment once a month. A reconstructor should "Always" be followed by a deep conditioning. A clients ends should be trimmed every 6-8 weeks. These two things alone would prevent shedding and breakage.
If your hair is dry and brittle, don't think that grease /oil will automatically rectify the problem. If your hair is dry it needs to be treated from the inside out. Grease only coats the hair, it doesn't penetrate inside the cuticle. I'm not saying the hair doesn't need oil, your hair produces it's own natural oils (some more than others). If you need oil, a little goes a long way, there is no need to over saturate your hair with grease and oil, it only clogs the hair cuticle. Great oils to use are olive oil, lavender oil and flaxseed oil. These are light but effective.
After a salon visit, it's often difficult for the client to maintain the exact style, so some clients will apply heat to their hair to try to duplicate the look. That "should NOT" be done. If you like curls then you need to pin-curl or roll your hair at night. If you like your hair straight, or if you have issues with resistance then you should wrap your hair. Whatever method you decide to utilize, make sure your hair is protected by a satin scarf or pillowcase. Satin locks in moisture so that hair doesn't get dry. Cotton is drying, so if you are laying down on a cotton pillowcase then you should terminate that habit. Something else that I've noticed is that some people wear ponytails to sleep. Ponytails can cause breakage. It's okay to pull your hair up in a ponytail with a fabric hair tie (No rubber bands, they cut your hair) 'Sometimes", but daily is not a good thing.
Everyone's hair is different some people have fine hair and so it can not handle the same tension that someone who has course hair could. It's very important to "know" your hair and it's capabilities.